An Amazing Place I Had Never Heard Of Before

I had not really prepared for this trip as in-depth as I had others.  I decided to let National Geographic do the work and let the trip come to me.  So the itinerary for Day 11 did not mean much to me when I read it:

”Visit the Dazu Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site where centuries-old rock carvings depict Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist themes, as well as scenes of ordinary life during the Tang Dynasty.”

The cruise ended that morning.  We left a city of 33 million people, Chongqing, which I had barely heard of before, and took a bus four hours (as part of a seven hour bus trip overall!) to get to Dazu County and the site of the rock carvings.

UNESCO World Heritage sites are always great.  If you’ve read my blog before, you know that I say UNESCO means “You Must Go” – see it rhymes! (Editor’s Note: Way to busta rhyme!  Blogger: Oh, I'm just getting started on my rap career.  Editor: Oh, no you aren't!  Trust me.).

Andrew Wilson, our Nat Geo guide, tried to prep me the day before when he noted that we would be blown away by the Grottoes, so I was optimistic.  However I did not fully comprehend until I saw them.

The entrance way was neat, as you will see from the photos two posts below, but nothing prepared me for the carvings. 

These are not some rudimentary stick figures carved into limestone (which I kind of expected).  These are amazing figures (oh, just skip down to the photos, view them, and then come back to finish reading this).  Some are painted, some are a little worn, but many are fully complete.  These are carvings done on a grand scale beyond which I could comprehend.

The carvings were first done by Buddhists seeking a way to tell the story of Buddhism to local farmers.  Other elements got added in, including Confucian and Taoist teachings.  There are over 50,000 statutes making up 75 different scenes.

The earliest carvings started in 650 AD, but things really got going during the 9^th Century, with the work lasting until the 13^th Century.  In the 12^th Century, a Buddhist monk devoted 70 years of his life to the carvings.  Many people, including monks, nuns, ordinary people, and landed gentry spent time carving.  All of them were better at than I could hope to be!

I half-listened to our local guide, but it was hard to pay attention to him whilst I stared in wild wonder at that which was before me.  You will see I went through a period of time with my camera in which all I did was take close-ups of hideous beings.  So that was pretty cool.  All of it was staggering to behold.

Where has this been all my life?  I had NEVER heard of it.  Wow.  Amazing craftsmanship and story-telling.  If you go to China, make sure you go here, even though it won’t be easy.  Nothing worth it is ever easy, and Dazu Grottoes is definitely worth it!

We had three more hours on the bus, but the tough day of travel was definitely rewarded by the several hours of the rock carvings in the middle of the day.  Even having Subway on the bus for our lunch afterwards was easy to swallow after the incredible site we had just seen.